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You're reading Leading Software People, a curated newsletter for people who are managing software teams, brought to you by Status Hero. We hope you find it helpful! (And if you do, please spread the word - we really appreciate it!)

Leadership & Management

In the first installment of our Monday Routines series, in which software people like you recount their Monday rituals, we sit down with Mike Baukes of Upguard. This series will look into the day-to-day patterns and habits of software leaders as they guide teams, collaborate, and deliver great software. Hopefully you’ll discover a tidbit or two to help you with your routine.

First Round Review sits down with Meg Makalou of Climate Corporation, a seasoned human resources leader of startups big and small, to discuss 3 of the hardest conversations that an HR leader has to face. Meg offers approaches for taking them from confrontational to beneficial, as well as tactics for catching the most challenging performance problems before they start.

Gregg Pollack goes through the most important principles to put people first and ensure team success. Topics include giving effective guidance, understanding your human tendencies to make up stories and get defensive, and the importance of vision and goal setting.

Ever made a bad business decision? There's a good chance your ego was involved. Allan Branch of Less Everything describes how to spot an ego decision and why it's important to make sure your ego isn't sneaking up on you.

Writing software is rarely as simple as doing something you already know how to do. It involves figuring out how to do something new, which makes estimation hard. Jon Evans takes a closer look at why estimates are typically wrong and gives advice on the right level of estimation sizing to achieve more accurate ones.

We take a look at holiday parties, the benefits of them, and why you ought to have one, even if your team is remote. Learn 6 ways to celebrate with your remote team, including Secret Santa, virtual Yankee Swap, and more.

Only Slightly Off-Topic

Andrew Sullivan of New York Magazine expounds on how the "endless bombardment of news and gossip and images has rendered us manic information addicts. There are books to be read; landscapes to be walked; friends to be with; life to be fully lived." Do you agree?